Ryly's Gourmet Gets 'In the Mix' at Wine/Food Tasting

Merrimack chef Pat Comerford, with the assistance of her husband Bill and Scott Oleniak, who helps Comerford with catering at Ryly's and who works as a prep cook at Buckley's Steak House, bustled around the kitchen Saturday creating delectable homemade potato chips.

They were at the State Liquor and Wine Outlet on Coliseum Avenue in Nashua for the weekly "In the Mix Series" food and wine tasting, which featured Pat's shop Ryly's Gourmet Market as its guest.

"In the Mix" began in October in the newly rebuilt liquor store, using the kitchen built in the back of the store as a place for shoppers to sample food from local chefs along with wines sold in the store that had been paired with the food.

Watch above: Pat, Bill and Scott dish out homemade russett potato chips topped with corned beef and cabbage and salmon and lemon dill sour cream.

The event runs weekly for two hours, from noon to 2 p.m. and the chefs continuously roll out tasty bites as shoppers swing by to sample them. In addition to providing food samples, most of the chefs put out recipes to recreate what shoppers tried that day and on the wine side of it, additional coupons are given to purchase bottles of the featured wines at reduced prices.

In addition to the weekly sampling, the liquor commission has also put together a free, downloadable cookbook, found here, with recipes from this series.

It's a unique event, as the Nashua store is the only one in the state with a kitchen in it. It is scheduled to continue running weekly until the end of April.

Upcoming featured guests are:

• March 23: Food samplings from The Puritan Backroom will be served. Wines being tasted include Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Agua de Piedra Malbec Gran Seleccion, Adobe Red, Morgan Metallico Chardonnay, and Pali Huntington Pinot Noir. Hosted by RP Imports.
• March 30: Food samplings from Napa East Lounge will be served. Wines and spirits being tasted include Hess Treo Winemaker's Blend, Penley Estate Pheonix Cabernet, Lockwood Liquid Velvet Red, and Tap 357 Maple Rye Whiskey. Hosted by Martignetti Companies.  
• April 6: Food samplings from Blue Mermaid Island Grille will be served. Wines to be served include Ruffino Unoaked Chardonnay, Anderra Sauvignon Blanc, The Dreaming Tree Everyday White and Black Box Riesling. Hosted by Horizon Beverages.
• April 13: Food samplings from Lobster Tail Restaurants & Fish Market will be served.
• April 20: Food samplings from NH Food Bank will be served.
• April 27: Food samplings from Wild Rover Pub will be served.